How Did the Adam’s Apple Get Its Name?

“Adam’s apple” gets its name from the belief that a piece of the apple (or forbidden fruit) which Eve gave to Adam, stuck in his throat. Thus, all people after him had a bump in their throat—the Adam’s apple. An Adam’s apple sometimes looks like a small, rounded apple just under the skin in the front of the throat.

The Adam’s apple is really a hard protective covering around the voice box, or larynx, which contains the vocal cords. Everyone has an Adam’s apple, but some Adam’s apples are more noticeable than others. Touch the front of your neck with your fingers. You should feel a small bump near the top, under your chin—that’s your Adam’s apple.

When the larynx grows larger during puberty, it sticks out at the front of the throat. This is what’s called an Adam’s apple. Everyone’s larynx grows during puberty, but a girl’s larynx doesn’t grow as much as a boy’s does. That’s why boys have Adam’s apples. Most girls don’t have Adam’s apples, but some do. It’s no big deal either way.

This larger larynx also gives boys deeper voices. Actually, girls’ voices get a little bit deeper as their larynx-es get larger, too. But because boys’ larynx-es grow so much more, it makes their voices deeper than girls’ voices. The larynx doesn’t grow to its new size overnight, though. If you’ve ever heard a teenage boy’s voice sound squeaky, you’ve heard a larynx trying to get adjusted to its new size!

Content for this question contributed by Natalie Reed, resident of Parma, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, USA